Project Fake Snake Mustang is Back On The Road

After too much time in shop jail, we finally have the Fake Snake Mustang rolling once again.

The best way to keep your project car moving? Keep it on the road as much as possible to help maintain your enthusiasm for the build. We let the Fake Snake Mustang get caught in shop jail for a while there, but it’s finally back on the road.

Shop jail. That’s the place project cars go when the tasks to be done pile up faster than they can be completed. Before you know, the project you planned to drive every weekend—or more—has spent months sitting on jack stands.

That’s exactly what happened to the Fake Snake Mustang. The idea all along was to pull the Mustang down for a project, finish the work, and get it back on the road again before starting the next project. It worked for a while, but then when it came time to upgrade the brakes, we ordered up a set form Baer Brakes that fit a 9-inch rear because an upgraded rear axle was in the plans anyway. So the brakes had to wait until the new 9-inch from Quick Performance came in. Meanwhile, we’ve also been working with Aeromotive as they develop a new fuel system for the ’99 Mustangs, and the fuel tank had to come out for a little R&D.

With the addition of the stronger 9-inch rear from Quick Performance we were losing the reluctor wheel on each axle for the anti-lock brakes, so we decided to rip the whole system out. On the left is the Ford ABS module; we’re replacing it with the aluminum ABS-delete manifold you see on the right from Late Model Restoration. This frees up room in the engine compartment for engine swaps and cuts 9.5 lbs. from the front of the car.

No excuses, but the Mustang did wind up sitting on the jack stands quite a bit longer than intended. Anyhow, that’s over now, and the Mustang is back on the road, at least until it’s time for an engine swap (hint, hint), but that’s a story for another day.

Your hub for horsepower
Get first access to hit shows like Roadkill and Dirt Every Day

This issue we’re tying up a lot of loose ends on the Mustang to get it back on the road. The original plan was to get it ready to test the new QA1 suspension, Quick Performance 9-inch rear, and Baer Brakes at a track day at Carolina Motorsports Park (CMP) in Kershaw, SC, but unfortunately, recent rains guaranteed a wet track. The car had barely been driven in its latest form on dry pavement, so we eighty-sixed the track idea for a later date. Nevertheless, if you live anywhere in the Southeast and are looking for a place to test out your car’s handling, you could definitely do worse than the beautiful 2.3-mile CMP road course nestled in the South Carolina pines.

You can get an idea of how the ABS delete goes into the car. It is simply a machined manifold that properly routes the brake fluid from the master cylinder to each corner of the car. We had a flare on one of the brake lines split and cause a leak, so after a trip to the speed shop, Bradley Auto Parts, we came up with a length of braided line and the fittings so that we could cut the line shorter for a new flare.

Even without track time, the upgrades to our Fake Snake certainly makes it a lot more fun. When we took the Mustang out on the autocross track at the Car Craft Summer Nationals, the QA1 suspension performed well, but it was obvious the rock-hard 235/55R17 all-weather radials were holding the car back. To fix that we worked with American Muscle, who put together a wheel and tire package that should be worlds better when it comes to performance. They sent over a set of their Rovos Durban 18-inch wheels along with a set of grippy Sumitomo tires. The idea was to maximize the contact patch all around, so up front the 275/35R18 tires are mounted to 9-inch wide wheels, while in the back we went really big with 285/35R18s on 10.5-inch wide wheels. For comparison sake, the original tires were only 235 millimeters wide.

After the ABS-delete was plumbed up, the process of bleeding the Baer Brakes system could begin. Ditching the ABS module definitely makes this process easier.

The Durbans were critical to our build. It was a bit tough finding wheels with the correct offset that also provided enough room for the big Baer calipers, and the five-spoke design does it well. The open design will also allow plenty of cooling air to get to the brakes when the car is driven in anger. After going through the bedding-in process for the brakes that Baer outlines in their instructions, the car is greatly improved. We’re using a lower gear in the Quick Performance rearend that makes acceleration livelier, the brakes are strong and predictable, and the new tires and wheels provide tons of grip.

Our Fake Snake is becoming an absolute blast to drive!

When prefitting the Rovos wheels from American Muscle, we found the rears were within a half inch of the QA1 coilovers. That can happen when you use a lot of different components from a lot of different manufacturers. We used a set of 1-inch spacers from American Muscle. The first step for these spacers was to shorten the lugs on the Quick Performance axles.The passenger-side spacer bolted in place. Before final installation, we put a dab of grease on the end of each cut stud and then test fit the wheel. You certainly don’t want a stud that’s too long holding the wheel off the face of the spacer. The grease test allows you to check for that. When we pulled the wheel back off and found no grease transferred to the back side of the wheel, we knew the lugs were all short enough.American Muscle helped us with a wheel and tire combo that fit the Baer brakes and maximized performance. We told them we wanted absolutely as much rubber as we could fit in the back, and they sent us Rovos wheels in their Durban style measuring 18 inches tall and 10.5 inches wide. It’s wrapped in a Sumitomo 285/25R18 tire with a very aggressive tread. For comparison, on the right is the stock GT 17-inch wheel with a 235-wide tire.The stock 8.8 rearend uses a flange-style pinion. The Quick Performance 9-inch you see here uses the stronger yoke style. To make it work we had a new driveshaft made up. Nothing fancy, but it should handle 450 horsepower or more.Honestly, all the changes we’ve made to the Mustang are about performance, but there’s no doubt the new Baer Brakes and Rovos wheels add a lot to the Fake Snake’s looks too.Baer’s large six-piston calipers do require extra space versus stock calipers, and that can limit your wheel choices. The Rovos Durbans not only fit, but they are also an open design that should provide maximum cooling airflow to the brakes.This angle helps illustrate just how much rubber we’re now putting to the asphalt.

Read More!

The best way to keep your project car moving? Keep it on the road as much as possible to help maintain your enthusiasm for the build. We let the Fake Snake Mustang get caught in shop jail for a while there, but it’s finally back on the road.

With the addition of the stronger 9-inch rear from Quick Performance we were losing the reluctor wheel on each axle for the anti-lock brakes, so we decided to rip the whole system out. On the left is the Ford ABS module; we’re replacing it with the aluminum ABS-delete manifold you see on the right from Late Model Restoration. This frees up room in the engine compartment for engine swaps and cuts 9.5 lbs. from the front of the car.

You can get an idea of how the ABS delete goes into the car. It is simply a machined manifold that properly routes the brake fluid from the master cylinder to each corner of the car. We had a flare on one of the brake lines split and cause a leak, so after a trip to the speed shop, Bradley Auto Parts, we came up with a length of braided line and the fittings so that we could cut the line shorter for a new flare.

After the ABS-delete was plumbed up, the process of bleeding the Baer Brakes system could begin. Ditching the ABS module definitely makes this process easier.

When prefitting the Rovos wheels from American Muscle, we found the rears were within a half inch of the QA1 coilovers. That can happen when you use a lot of different components from a lot of different manufacturers. We used a set of 1-inch spacers from American Muscle. The first step for these spacers was to shorten the lugs on the Quick Performance axles.

The passenger-side spacer bolted in place. Before final installation, we put a dab of grease on the end of each cut stud and then test fit the wheel. You certainly don’t want a stud that’s too long holding the wheel off the face of the spacer. The grease test allows you to check for that. When we pulled the wheel back off and found no grease transferred to the back side of the wheel, we knew the lugs were all short enough.

American Muscle helped us with a wheel and tire combo that fit the Baer brakes and maximized performance. We told them we wanted absolutely as much rubber as we could fit in the back, and they sent us Rovos wheels in their Durban style measuring 18 inches tall and 10.5 inches wide. It’s wrapped in a Sumitomo 285/25R18 tire with a very aggressive tread. For comparison, on the right is the stock GT 17-inch wheel with a 235-wide tire.

The stock 8.8 rearend uses a flange-style pinion. The Quick Performance 9-inch you see here uses the stronger yoke style. To make it work we had a new driveshaft made up. Nothing fancy, but it should handle 450 horsepower or more.

Honestly, all the changes we’ve made to the Mustang are about performance, but there’s no doubt the new Baer Brakes and Rovos wheels add a lot to the Fake Snake’s looks too.

Baer’s large six-piston calipers do require extra space versus stock calipers, and that can limit your wheel choices. The Rovos Durbans not only fit, but they are also an open design that should provide maximum cooling airflow to the brakes.

This angle helps illustrate just how much rubber we’re now putting to the asphalt.